Bluegrass Community and Technical College Foundation Inc. (BCTC Foundation) is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization with a mission to advance the purposes of fundraising, advocacy, public relations, and the educational and community service goals of Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC). The BCTC Foundation secures private funding for BCTC so the college can focus on its mission of contributing to the vitality of our communities by providing quality education in academic transfer, professional-technical and life-long learning.

Background Statement

While Bluegrass Community and Technical College was established in 2005 by the consolidation of Lexington Community College and Central Kentucky Technical College. These two colleges had more than 100 years of combined experience providing postsecondary education. The BCTC Foundation was formed in the same year to support the college as it constantly strives to fulfill its mission to transform the Bluegrass – one student at a time, one employer at a time, and one community at a time.

BCTC is a fully accredited, comprehensive community college, offering transfer, career, and technical programs. The College also provides classes in adult literacy, customized workforce training, continuing education, and community outreach.

Over 3,000 students graduate each year with associate degrees, diplomas, and/or certificates from 49 programs of study. Many of these graduates continue their education at other colleges and universities. Approximately 1,000 students transfer from BCTC to a four-year public institution each year, making BCTC the top transfer college in Kentucky. BCTC has dual-admission agreements with the University of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky University, and Kentucky State University.

BCTC is known for the quality of its instructors, with award-winning professors recognized in 2007, 2009, and 2015 as the Carnegie Foundation’s Kentucky Professor of the Year by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Excellence in teaching has expanded to online offerings, allowing students to pursue higher education from anywhere at their own pace. BCTC is currently one of the largest providers of distance learning in Kentucky.

BCTC also brings its excellence in teaching to the workplace. The college serves over 600 businesses and trains more than 2,600 workers each year. Through Workforce Solutions, BCTC offers customized employee training that transforms business by providing the more advanced and productive workforce needed in today’s global economy.

Impact Statement

Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC), with the BCTC
Foundation’s assistance, transforms lives in Central Kentucky, providing
thousands of people each year with the education to secure their future. BCTC
develops a well-trained workforce that is prepared to handle the demands of
today’s economy. BCTC works across the region to create two essential elements
found in thriving communities: opportunities for education and employment. BCTC sustains strong partnerships with
individuals, corporations, and foundations to provide a skilled workforce,
prepare students to transfer for baccalaureate degrees, support economic
vitality and improve quality of life in the communities that the college
serves.

pasting

Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC), with the BCTC Foundation’s assistance, transforms lives in Central Kentucky, providing thousands of people each year with the education to secure their future. BCTC develops a well-trained workforce that is prepared to handle the demands of today’s economy. BCTC works across the region to create two essential elements found in thriving communities: opportunities for education and employment. BCTC sustains strong partnerships with individuals, corporations, and foundations to provide a skilled workforce, prepare students to transfer for baccalaureate degrees, support economic vitality and improve quality of life in the communities that the college serves.

Needs Statement

BCTC is the second largest community and technical college in Kentucky, reaching over 18,000 students in Central Kentucky. Enrollment continues to grow as an increasing number of jobs require postsecondary education, and more students are choosing to begin their college experience at BCTC. However, two barriers may prevent students from attending BCTC: access and ability to pay tuition. An additional factor that will affect the quality of their education is the availability of state-of-the-art training equipment, which would enable a worker to handle the demands of the workplace.

BCTC Foundation, in support of BCTC, is working to address these barriers. A new campus on Newtown Pike will provide access to higher education in a part of Lexington whose residents have been unable to access such opportunities. The Newtown Pike development offers a rare opportunity to develop an urban campus. This facility will provide state-of-the-art training on emerging and advanced technology. It will change the physical characteristics of North Lexington as new and renovated buildings emerge. By offering new opportunities for higher education and engaging local neighborhoods, BCTC plans to be a factor in revitalizing the area surrounding its new campus.

BCTC Foundation is also working to assist students who wish to attend BCTC but can’t afford it. To ensure a high quality of life for residents of Central Kentucky, education beyond high school can make the difference. The Foundation strives to provide scholarship funding to those that need it, adding new scholarships annually.

Finally, preparing the workforce of tomorrow requires that students be trained on the newest and most advanced equipment available. New technology is continually being developed that changes and/or enhances an industry. BCTC’s programs strive to keep pace, ensuring that these programs’ graduates are prepared to contribute as productive workers as soon as they enter the workforce.

Board Chair Statement

It is my pleasure to serve as the chair of the Bluegrass Community and Technical College Foundation Board of Directors. As a board, we are dedicated to increasing private support for BCTC. Our members represent each of our seven campuses. In addition to our three campuses in Lexington, we have campuses in Danville, Georgetown, Lawrenceburg, and Winchester. They are community leaders who donate their professional expertise and time to make higher education possible for BCTC students.

The BCTC Foundation has launched the largest funding campaign in the college’s history. We ask, and we need, your generous financial support in order to achieve our ambitious goal. The impact of your investment will be far-reaching and will be essential to the future of Bluegrass Community and Technical College. We hope you will consider contributing to the success of the campaign, the college, and the students we serve.

Bluegrass Community & Technical College Foundation serves the Central Kentucky region, with particular emphasis on Lexington, Winchester, Lawrenceburg, Danville, and Georgetown, where current and future campuses are located. Additionally, BCTC’s diverse student population also represents each of Kentucky’s 120 counties, 34 US states, and 18 foreign countries in the past school year alone.

The Bluegrass Community and Technical College Foundation has a memorandum of understanding with the Bluegrass Community & Technical College, in which the staff of the college's Resource Development Office provides support for the Foundation. This support includes, but is not limited to, grant-writing, fundraising planning, solicitations, and administrative organization.The Resource Development staff includes an Associate Vice President for Advancement (who serves as the Foundation Executive Director), Administrative Assistant, and Gift Account Specialist.

Similarly, while the Foundation continues to work on developing its own policies and procedures regarding non-discrimination, whistle-blowing, and the like, the members of the Foundation agree to adhere to the personnel standards set by Bluegrass Community & Technical College.

The Foundation’s strives to support BCTC students directly through scholarships. The College is experiencing the highest enrollment numbers in its history, which translates to an increased number of students needing assistance to further their education. Since financial difficulty is the leading reason that students do not complete a college education, the increased availability of scholarships is the most effective way to impact student retention and completion rates at BCTC.Scholarships will provide more students with the opportunity to pursue postsecondary education while still meeting their living expenses. In addition, scholarships can reduce the number of hours that a student must work to pay for their higher education and living expenses.

Budget40,000.00

CategoryEducation, General/Other Student Financial Aid

Population ServedAdults, Unemployed, Underemployed, Dislocated,

Program Short Term Success

By providing financial support, BCTC Foundation is enabling more students to successfully complete programs and graduate. As the Foundation increase its funding for scholarships, it will in turn increase its ability to impact more students.

Program Long term Success

Ultimately and in an ideal world, the Foundation would like to remove financial barriers that prevent students from continuing their education by providing financial support through scholarships. Everyone should have the opportunity to achieve the highest level of education that they desire and as a result, the highest quality of life possible. As the Foundation continues to communicate the significant need for increased scholarship money, more barriers will be removed and more students can transform their lives through education.

Program Success Monitored By

The Foundation monitors the scholarship recipients in regards to their progress towards achieving their educational goals at BCTC.

Examples of Program Success

Steven Ashley, a 2015 Swarna Gopal Rao Memorial Scholarship recipient, says that the scholarship helped,"to relieve my financial burden and allowed me to devote more time to my studies and complete my dream. You have inspired me to pay it forward as well.”

Community and technical colleges are traditionally known for their ability to respond quickly to changes in the marketplace; however, this responsiveness takes resources. As markets become more and more competitive, and as businesses throughout the Bluegrass Region compete across the globe, it is imperative that their workers continue to hone their skills. Given adequate resources, BCTC’s credential-focused and customized training programs can meet this challenge by providing up-to-date training with equipment, technology, program supplies, services and trained instructors. The BCTC Foundation works to ensure that knowledge and skills needed by current and future workers will be readily available at the college as new technology and processes are developed.

Budget59,400

CategoryEducation, General/Other Educational Programs

Population ServedGeneral/Unspecified, ,

Program Short Term Success

In the short-term, the financial support provided by the Foundation enables the programs and campuses at BCTC to stay up-to-date with the knowledge and technology currently being utilized by the workplace. Employers will find the graduates of BCTC to be trained and able to quickly become productive workers.

Program Long term Success

Graduates from BCTC are helping to strengthen Kentucky’s ability to compete in the global marketplace. The availability of a well-trained workforce can attract new businesses to Central Kentucky and help make the current ones more successful.

Program Success Monitored By

Success will be measured by the Foundation’s ability to help fund and provide an avenue for donors to support program initiatives and campus developments.

Examples of Program Success

Cherie Sibley, CEO with Clark Regional Medical Center states, "We have supported the BuildSmart Campaign on behalf of students so that they can realize their aspirations. BCTC plays a significant role in education and workforce development for healthcare professionals, and we are the beneficiary of that effort."

In May 2010, BCTC unveiled a 20-year plan for a new campus. The Newtown Campus is located on the 48-acre former site of the historic Eastern State Hospital. Upon completion, the campus will consist of 14 to 17 buildings and will include historically significant buildings renovated for adaptive use.

Construction has begun on the first building. A 92,240-square-foot, four-story classroom building will include classrooms, student services, a learning commons, a science lab, a career center and a film production studio. Some of the programs in the new building include computer science and information systems, information material design, computer graphic design, film production, business, and general education classes. The building will accommodate about 1,000 students and will be LEED Certified, meeting the highest green building and performance measures. This building is expected to be ready in 2013, and the Commonwealth of Kentucky has funded its construction of the first building.

Budget35,741,000

CategoryEducation, General/Other Education, General/Other

Population ServedAdults, At-Risk Populations, General/Unspecified

Program Short Term Success

The total budget for Phase I is $35,741,000. Additional funds will be needed to further develop the campus.

BCTC will undertake activities to engage the neighborhood to encourage them to see the college as a community partner. Newtown Campus will also mark the construction of BCTC’s first LEED-certified facility, cementing the College’s commitment to the environment as well as the communities it serves.

Program Long term Success

The first classes at the Newtown Campus will be held in 2013. It is the Foundation’s hope that BCTC will become a key part of the North Lexington community throughout its development, ensuring a strong partnership with the community long into the future.

Program Success Monitored By

Success will be measured in terms of BCTC’s increased enrollment capacity and upgraded capability to provide high-quality training, ensuring a highly-qualified workforce.

Examples of Program Success

BCTC broke ground on a new campus in Winchester in 2006. With everyone from BCTC and within the community working together, a $7.25 million facility was opened. $2.3 million of the total cost came from private funds. Today, Winchester-Clark County campus serves a student body of over 1,100, bringing access to high quality, state of the art education to that area.